The Golden Temple
by Essie.Lo0ve
Summary: Look, we didn't ask to save the world, okay? When you're a demigod, the Fates just tend to go overboard with disasters. And it wasn't our fault the gods love messing up our lives, especially that Aphrodite. A new enemy, new monsters...just our luck. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there, loads of creative bubbliness been going recently, and I thought I'd plan a new story, I have loads of ideas… so I hope you like it and it inspires you or whatever :) Enjoy !**

**Oh yeah, the stupid disclaimer…**

**Disclaimer:**** Do I look like an American man? No? Good..**

**Chapter One: Belle**

I was having a bad day before I bumped into him.

It started in the morning, when Nicole, one of the Aphrodite princesses, failed us on cabin inspection for the third time in three weeks.

She poked her turned-up nose into the Hades cabin like it was a nuclear bomb site and minced in, wearing a pair of mini-shorts and a pink lacy blouse.

I rolled my eyes. I was on my hands and knees by my bed, attempting to perform a five-minute's-notice clean up in my area at least.

Of course, Arron's alarm had failed to go off again, and I've never been one of those chirpy-as-a-cricket, up-at-four-am girls. None of us three (us being me and my half-brothers, Nico and Arron) could get up before eleven without an alarm.

Nicole looked around our grim, black-walled cabin and sniffed. She un-capped her pink pen and made a neat cross on her clipboard.

'I'm going to have to fail you again, guys,' she said, in a mock-sympathetic voice. 'What a shame. I can see you've tried really hard this week.'

She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and turned on her heel, strutting out of the room as if it was a runway.

Nico cursed in Greek and sighed. 'At least after three weeks with no s'mores at the campfire, you get used to it, right?'

'No,' I retorted moodily. 'What a stupid, pink b-'

'Belle,' Arron cut me off. 'That's enough. I'll ask Travis if he can sneak out and get me a new clock radio for next time, don't worry.'

'Sure,' I said. I wasn't in the mood to talk, so I grabbed a damp towel off the floor and headed for the bathroom.

In the shower, I felt the hot water agitating my stress. Why was it always us who got the short straw? The Hades cabin was always the one who got picked on, and everyone turned their noses up at us.

If it wasn't for my half-brothers, (and the fact that I'd have nowhere to go and would be eaten by monsters within five minutes) I'd be long gone. I hated Camp Half-Blood, and I hated my stupid life here.

Someone knocked at the door.

'Belle,' Arron's voice came from the other side of the door. 'It's time for sword-fighting. You coming?'

I turned the shower off. 'Uh, sure. Wait a second.'

I quickly slipped out of the shower and wrapped a towel round me, rubbing my body dry before I threw on a pair of black shorts and a shimmery grey t-shirt.

I opened the door of the bathroom, and threw my towel on the bed, messing up my hair in an attempt to get it dry.

Nico and Arron were waiting by the door. We made a funny threesome – if anyone saw us on the street, they wouldn't guess we were all related, but I guess it's different when the parent you have in common is a god. All that stuff just makes my head hurt.

Nico's skinny and pale, with a mop of messy black hair and a troubled expression, like he'd been through something unpleasant in his past and was permanently trying to forget it. Of course, I knew all about him losing his sister – his real sister – three or four years back. That must have been hard, and Nico doesn't like to talk about it much. I knew how that felt.

Arron's brawny, with skin the colour of coffee beans, scarred from his past in the rough neighbourhood he escaped in coming here. He's taller than me or Nico, and under his short, tightly-curled hair, there's always a smile on his good-natured face. Unlike me or Nico, Arron's ADHD, a typical demigod sign, and his big, calloused hands are always fiddling with stuff in his pockets – paperclips, rubber bands, gold nuggets he finds on the forest floor in the woods. He's the oldest, seventeen, two years older than me and Nico and head counsellor of Cabin 13.

And then there's me – Belle Edwards. Unlike my brothers, I have pale blonde hair that refuses to curl or wave, just hangs straight down my back. My skin is even paler than Nico's. The Aphrodite girls laugh behind my back about it being the colour of milk. I'm taller than Nico, but shorter than Arron, and I have an annoyingly boyish figure with no curves whatsoever.

We all dress similarly, though, in spite of the differences in character and age. Hades' kids are all stereotypically supposed to be goths, which is unfair, but it is true that we're drawn to black and grey, colours of darkness.

Turning away from my brothers, I shoved my feet into sneakers and joined them at the door, grabbing my bow and quiver. Feeling the cool, smooth wood beneath my fingers calmed me slightly, and I slung my favourite weapons, a gift from my father himself, over my left shoulder as I reached, with a little less enthusiasm, for my Celestial bronze sword.

Chiron doesn't let me fight with just my bow and arrows, and makes me take a sword to practice as well, even though I'm not any good with a blade and I much prefer my trusty bow.

'Come on then, Bee,' Nico pulled my elbow out of the door and I blinked in the bright sunlight. Nico and Arron prefer staying indoors on sunny days, but I love spending time in the sun, and by the beach.

When I first arrived at Camp, I even wished that Poseidon, god of the ocean and earthquakes, would be my godly parent. I love the idea of causing earth tremors and controlling the ocean, even though I'm petrified of horses.

But I've learnt that your fate isn't even in your own hands. It was unfair that my own father had to take my mother before her time. It was unfair that I had to come here. And it was unfair that I was stuck in the worst cabin, with no friends and forced to use a weapon I couldn't even wield.

I tipped my head back, relishing the hot sun on my skin after a night in the dingy Hades cabin.

'Bee, we're going to be late, and then we'll be on washing-up duty after our s'more-less campfire,' Arron's voice broke into my dream world.

I opened my eyes and saw the boys a few metres ahead, turning round to wait for me.

'I'm coming, I'm coming,' I snapped, rushing forward, dragging my sword on the dusty path.

It didn't take long to get to the arena, a short three-minute walk. I tried to ignore the stares, the whispers.

'Look at those Hades freaks.'

'What losers.'

'Hey, Princess of Darkness!'

The last shout was from Nick Payne, that stupid Son of Zeus who thought he was such a big shot because his daddy was the Lord of the Sky.

His half-brother, Jack, elbowed him to shut him up. Anyone would have thought it was a nice thing, stopping his brother from insulting me, but I knew better. Jack was just as nasty as Nick, just as big-headed and thick-skinned.

For a brief moment, Jack caught my glance with his piercing blue eyes. I returned his look with a scowl and looked away quickly.

'Let's go,' I said, marching ahead of Nico and Arron, into the arena.

My half-brothers, knowing nothing of what had happened between me and Jack, looked confused at my sudden mood-change.

_And they will never know anything, _I reminded myself. I would die of embarrassment if Nico or Arron found out.

In the arena, Percy Jackson was standing in the middle with his girlfriend, Annabeth, chatting to the class and waiting for the latecomers, who were drifting in behind us.

I couldn't stand Percy, or his know-it-all girlfriend, either. Children of Poseidon were almost as bad as Children of Zeus, thinking they're so great just because their dad's the god of the ocean and all that rubbish.

Percy is the undisputed leader of the whole Camp, but I don't think he deserves it. Even if Nico has forgiven him for the death of his sister, I can't imagine how pig-headed you'd have to be to get a defenceless girl killed on a quest.

Instead of Percy being here, ordering everyone around in the arena, he should have been trampled in the place of Bianca and she should be here, maybe next to me. If I wasn't the only girl in the Hades cabin, maybe I wouldn't be so lonely. Maybe we'd be friends, best friends, even. Nico and Arron are nice, and they _are_ my family, but it would be different, having a girl to share my secrets with and hang around with.

Sometimes I wonder what Bianca was like, whether she would have liked me, but whenever I ask Nico, he clams up and refuses to talk.

Anyway, back to the present.

When everyone had arrived, Percy clapped his hands for silence and looked around.

'Okay, guys,' he said, in his stupid, I-am-the-boss voice. 'There's a good turnout today, so we'll be working in groups of four and playing a two-on-two game which should improve your speed and skills. Remember, in a real battle, it'll be a lot quicker, but I just want to try and give you an impression of how it would be in a real-life situation.'

Another thing that annoyed me about Percy – the way he spoke as if monsters were going to attack us any second. 'In a real fight'… 'When you're in a proper battle'… 'If you're being attacked by a hydra, for example...'

He manages to patronise us, while 'preparing us for battle' at the same time.

'So, guys, group up!' Percy continued.

Arron and Nico and I usually work together, but today, Percy came over.

'I'm going to separate you three, today,' he said. 'You need to get used to working with other people if you're going to improve.'

I blinked. 'What?'

Percy carried on like he hadn't heard. 'So, Nico, will you go over there and work with Clarisse, Becky and Susan?'

Nico looked terrified at the prospect of facing three muscular Ares girls, but he gripped his Stygian iron sword and shuffled over.

'Arron, can you go with Annabeth, Simon and Kelsie?'

'Uh, sure,' Arron walked over with more confidence, he's a good fighter.

'And…Bella, right?' Percy asked.

'It's Belle,' I corrected. _Idiot, _I thought.

'Sorry, Belle. Hmmm, hard choice. You're not too good with a sword, Chiron tells me.'

I stared at him, mouth wide open in disbelief. It was all very well for me to criticise myself, but for Percy, who didn't even know my name ten seconds ago, to say I couldn't use a sword…

I pursed my lips.

'But, I've seen you fighting before.'

I raised my eyebrows.

'And I'm going to challenge you today. I'm going to put you with Rosalie, McKenzie and Anna, okay?'

He gestured to a group of three Daughters of Poseidon. I scowled. How come they got to stay together while me and my brothers got split up?

'And what if I don't want to?' I asked Percy, my eyes challenging.

He grinned as if I had made a childish joke, and handed me my sword. 'That's what I like to see – a little spirit. Now, go on.'

I took my sword and walked reluctantly over to the girls.

They were the sort of girls I didn't mix with, the girls who laughed about me behind their backs – at least, I knew that McKenzie and Anna did. Rosalie I didn't know as well – she had arrived only three or four months back, but she was already one of the most skilled girls at Camp with a sword.

The girls looked at me as I arrived next to their group.

'Look who it is – the Princess of Darkness,' Anna sneered.

I tried to ignore her and spoke to Rosalie, the only girl who wasn't scowling at me.

'Your brother – Percy – said I had to join your group today,' I said, trying to sound indifferent.

'Well that was stupid of him,' said McKenzie. 'He of all people should know how awful you are with a sword.'

'Hey, shut up!' I said. 'Or I'll -'

'Okay, is everybody ready?' Percy's voice came from the middle of the arena. There were murmured 'yeses' and he continued, 'I'll just be walking round to see how you're all doing, so try not kill me. On my whistle -'

Percy's shrill whistle sounded, and me and Rosalie were faced with the sword points of McKenzie and Anna.

I slashed and stabbed, my hatred for the girls who called me names and made my life misery at this horrible Camp making it easy to direct my energy.

Even though the sword was heavy and unbalanced, I felt my training from the past few weeks kicking in. Percy's words of praise about my 'abilities' had boosted my confidence, and I didn't even find it particularly hard working with Rosalie.

The rumours about her sword-fighting skills were not just rumours. She was seriously good, more than a match for her half-sisters.

We fought well together, me mostly on defence and Rosalie hacking her way through McKenzie and Anna's attempts at blocking.

Then, just when my sword arm was starting to weaken, I tried the disarming technique me and Nico had learnt a few days ago.

I reached forward with my sword, and my blade clanged against Anna's, low down, near the hilt.

This move caught her off guard. She hadn't been expecting that.

I slid my sword upwards, while twisting my wrist in a flicking motion, and Anna's sword dropped to the ground.

The look on her face was priceless. Me, the loner from Cabin 13 who couldn't wield a sword, had beaten Anna, Daughter of Poseidon, who trained with her half-brother Percy every day.

I smirked, and when Rosalie was standing close to McKenzie, her sword against her half-sister's throat, we high-fived, grinning as if we had been friends for ages.

But McKenzie and Anna were Rosalie's sisters.

When Percy blew his whistle for the second time, she walked off with them, not sparing a second glance to me, her fighting partner for five minutes.

I walked over to join Nico and Arron.

Nico had several nasty-looking cuts on his arms, but nothing the Healers couldn't fix. Arron looked virtually unharmed.

'How did it go?' I asked them.

Nico showed me his arms close-up. 'Just fine,' he joked.

'I saw you with those Kelp Heads,' Arron said. 'You weren't so bad, Sis.'

'I wouldn't exactly let those jumped-up mermaids beat me,' I said dryly, not mentioning my moment of friendship with Rosalie. 'It was a breeze.'

Arron was about to say something more, but just then, Percy came up and tapped me on the arm.

I looked round and gave him my best 'back-off' stare.

As usual, he grinned and ignored the glare.

'Hey, Belle,' he said. 'Could I talk to you?'

'About what?' I asked, not caring if I sounded rude.

'It's okay, Bee, we'll go,' Arron said, patting me on the shoulder. 'See you back at Cabin 13.'

When my brothers had left, I turned and faced Percy.

'What do you want?' I asked him.

'I couldn't help noticing you fighting my half-sisters,' Percy said, smiling good-naturedly.

I didn't say anything.

'You're good,' he said. 'Better than Chiron gave you credit for. You show quite a lot of natural talent.'

I scrunched up my nose. 'What is this about?' I snapped. 'Did someone put you up to this as a joke?'

'No, relax, Belle,' Percy said. 'I just wanted to offer you some private training. With a few extra one-on-one sessions a week, you could be really something to be proud of.'

I didn't like the way he was talking, as if I was a trophy to be polished, put in a glass cupboard and admired. I didn't like attention, and this was Percy Jackson, the boy who had let Bianca di Angelo die.

'Why would I want to have extra training sessions?' I asked him. 'I'm fine with my bow and arrows, thank you very much. I don't like sword-fighting, and I don't want to 'improve my talent'. I don't even like you!'

Percy wrinkled his brow, like he was trying to work out why I was refusing the offer of personal training sessions with him, the Great Percy Jackson.

'Are you sure? I mean, you're good, Belle, really good. You could be a champion.'

'Yes, I'm sure. And in the future, I'll definitely stick to archery with the dryads, not your stupid sword-fighting class.'

And I turned on my heel, leaving Percy Jackson in the middle of the arena, speechless.

As I made my way out of the arena, I took not the usual route up to the cabins, but the less-used path that lead to the edge of the forest. The ground was muddy, and I struggled up the track, deep in thought.

I was angry, so my thoughts were messed-up and confused. I couldn't think straight, and wanted to go to my favourite place, my only peaceful part of Camp, where I could be alone and think.

I had left my sword by the edge of the arena. I never wanted to see the stupid thing again, I never wanted to fight again, except to shoot a well-placed arrow between the eyes of Percy Jackson the next time I saw him.

Unfortunately, I had left my bow and quiver of arrows in the arena, and instead of fleeing Camp Half-Blood straight away, I would have to return to the arena first.

Of course I would leave. I had had enough of this Camp, of the people who hated me and pushed me away. I had had enough of even my brothers, who didn't mind the whispers and the taunting.

I made a plan as I stomped up the path. I would return to Cabin 10 after I had finished fuming, and pack a bag. I would leave that night, and attempt to shadow-travel somewhere, _anywhere_, away from here. Maybe Granny and Grandpa would take me in, forgetting the years of silence from me and my mother. We hadn't even spoken to each other at the funeral.

Bearing in mind, I hadn't spoken to anyone at the funeral.

Without meaning to, I cast my thoughts back to that awful black day, the first time I had thought about it properly for a long time.

I was younger then, even skinnier than now, and short. The funeral had taken place two weeks and three days after my mother's death, exactly one month, one week and five days after my tenth birthday.

I was wearing a scratchy dress made from nasty, heavy black fabric. It was too big for me, and I was unused to wearing a long dress, so I tripped over the hem a lot. Or maybe that was because my vision was blurred from the tears.

I remembered the day the police had come to my house and told me that my mother had been involved in a car accident; that another driver had crashed into her car, drunk.

There were lots of faces at the funeral that I didn't recognise, old friends and colleagues of my mother. My grandparents were there, but they stood on the other side of the room, not speaking, not acknowledging my presence.

At the burial, a woman's cold grip was on my shoulder, steering me outside into the cold morning. I scratched my arm; feeling lost, and followed the crowd of people to the graveyard, where a hole had been dug.

A shiny wooden box stood next to the hole. A coffin.

The tears stopped then.

A man in a black suit stepped forward, and began a long, boring speech about angels in heaven and how sorry everyone was about this 'great loss'.

I wasn't listening.

Then, the coffin was slowly lowered into the hole. I wanted to say something, to stop them – my mother had always hated holes and being in enclosed spaces – but I couldn't move, couldn't speak.

The man in the black suit started to cover the coffin with dirt, until it disappeared from sight. Still, my eyes were dry and tearless – I guessed I had cried myself dry that previous weeks.

Then, they asked if I would like to pat down the earth and put some flowers on top of the grave. I picked up the heavy spade and knocked it three times down on the soil. It seemed final, then. My mother was dead. And she wasn't coming back.

I took the bunch of flowers they offered me. They were fancy and frilly – just the type of flowers my mother would hate. They felt a tonne heavy in my childish hands.

I dropped the flowers on to the grave, and stepped back, my hands cold and shaking.

I was too lost in the past to notice the quick footsteps coming towards me.

All of a sudden, I was knocked into a bush by the side of the path which winded me momentarily.

I opened my eyes to see a concerned face looking down at me – a face I hated.

It was Jack Greye.

I opened my mouth to snap at him, but he held out his hand to help me up.

'I'm so sorry,' he said. 'Are you okay?'

'Save, it Jack,' I said, my voice sharp as a sword's edge.

'No, honestly,' he continued. 'I wasn't concentrating – do you want a hand out of that bush?'

'I'm _fine_,' I said. 'I don't need your help!'

I got up, brushing the wet leaves off my backside, and glared up at Jack.

'Listen, Belle,' Jack started to say.

'Jack, if it's to apologise about what happened last week, I don't want to hear it.'

'Belle -'

I didn't let him finish. I pushed his hand away and stalked off the path, into the woods, even more confused than before.

**I know that was long, waay longer than I wanted it to be – sorry! I hope that just made it better, not too long and boring… so yeah, there's the first chapter, people – REVIEW! **

**Essie xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter Two! I hope you're all ready to read more and that you're all into the story – if you have any advice, ideas or criticism, **_**review**_**! All help is appreciated.**

**Chapter Two: Rosalie**

After sword-fighting class, McKenzie and Anna headed to the Poseidon Cabin. I didn't usually hang out with them, but today they'd taken me into their group, not bargaining that I'd be fighting them.

The girl who I'd fought with had been good, almost as good as me, but I didn't know her name. After the lesson, she'd drifted off without speaking to me.

'Are you coming, Rosalie?' Anna asked, her voice not really sounding bothered.

'Nah, I'm going to the lake,' I replied, thankful to have an excuse for not spending any more time with these girls. I'd seen how they'd treated that pale blonde girl down at the arena. 'I'll come up for lunch.'

McKenzie and Anna turned and walked off, leaving me at the edge of the arena. I followed them for a couple of metres before turning off the main path, towards the lake.

At the jetty my best friend at Camp, Della, was waiting for me. She's a naiad, a water spirit, and she lives in the canoe lake, which sucks, because we don't get to hang around in classes and stuff. Percy's been really nice and taken me under his wing, but I can tell that I annoy his girlfriend, Annabeth, so I spend most of my time here, at the lake.

Della's face lit up when she saw me. 'Rosa!'

'Hey, Dells,' I said, hurrying to the jetty and hugging her. We hadn't seen each other for a couple of days.

'How was class?' Della teased. She knew how much I felt out of place in sword-fighting, being one of the best and always the centre of attention.

'The usual,' I said, then I remembered the pale girl who had been my partner. 'Except I was paired with this girl – I don't know her name.'

'What does she look like?' Della asked. 'Maybe I know her.'

'Pale skin, blond hair… skinny…' I wrinkled my brow. 'I think she's from Cabin 10.'

'Oh, I know her, all right,' Della said. 'Belle Edwards, Daughter of Hades. She spends loads of her time her, by the lake.'

'Really?' I asked. I didn't remember seeing her anywhere before, even though I'm always at the lake with Della.

'Yeah…' Della paused. 'She's pretty weird, though - she's always alone.'

'I felt sorry for her,' I said. 'Anna and McKenzie were really nasty to her today, when she was put in our group.'

'You were in a group with _those_ harpies?' Della asked, incredulous. 'Why?'

'They asked me,' I said, shrugging. 'I didn't know how mean they could be.'

'Anyway, what happened in the fight?' Della asked.

'Me and…Belle? We won, of course. She was really good.' I replied, feeling proud of our victory. 'It's so unfair you naiads can't join in classes.'

'I know,' said Della. 'At least we can spend time together afterwards.'

'So, want to swim?' I asked.

'Last one to the other side of the lake's a rotten starfish!' Della cried, diving into the water, as swift as a fish.

That evening, at dinner, I looked for Belle Edwards, Daughter of Hades. Table 13 was nearly empty, with only three campers seated at one end – Belle and two boys. It wasn't far from our table, which wasn't quite as full as the other tables, either.

In Cabin 3, there are eight campers. Percy, the first Son of Poseidon to be claimed in years, was our head counsellor, then there's Alex, Evie, Anna, McKenzie, Joshua, Ryan and me.

I don't have any special friends in my cabin. Except from the fact I'm one of the best fighters at Camp, most kids ignore me. I don't have any special powers for a Daughter of Poseidon, just the usual water-control.

People treat Anna with special attention, because she has the ability to turn into a dolphin, one of the sacred animals of our father.

At dinner, she sat at the head of the table, shunting Percy aside, and began helping herself to a big portion of everything on the table. I couldn't help overhearing some of her conversation from my place, next to Percy.

'Of course, me and Kennie were going easy on Rosalie, and that loser from Hades' Cabin, right, Kennie?' She said in her loud voice.

'Totally,' McKenzie confirmed. 'We just felt sorry for them!'

I clenched my fist around my knife. That was a lie, and they knew it.

'I can't wait for the sword-fighting Tournament next week,' Anna said, slurping her lemonade. 'Rosalie's not even all that she's cracked up to be. No offence, Rosalie.'

Anna gave me a little fake smile. I'd seen plenty of those at my old school, from those pink, popular girls who pushed me in the hallways and stole my lunch money. I thought that I'd escape that, coming here, but obviously Anna and McKenzie were just the same as them.

I saw Joshua giving me a funny look from across the table, as if he knew what Anna was capable of and he didn't believe her.

'Oh, shut up, Anna,' said Percy, the only one in the cabin who didn't treat her with reverence and respect.

Anna grumbled, but she shut up, and the rest of us continued our dinner in silence.

When dinner was finally over, I went over to the brazier burning at the corner of the pavilion, and threw in a cluster of ripe grapes. When I first arrived, I thought the custom of offering burnt food to the gods was weird, but I got used to it.

'Poseidon,' I whispered. The fire crackled, and I smelt wild flowers, sea spray and the smell of my mother, her perfume. I smiled to myself and whispered a prayer for my father:

'Make sure mom's okay. I haven't spoken to her for…ages.' I swallowed and added, 'And, are you sure I should be here? I don't…feel safe. I want -' But then I realised how whiny and childish I sounded. I blinked. The comforting smells had gone, and now all I could smell was smoke.

I turned away from the fire, and followed the rest of Cabin 3 to the omega-shaped cabin area.

Poseidon's cabin is wonderful. Hewn from sea-rock, with little shells studded outside. Inside, it smells of the sea, and just being there makes me feel strong, at home.

My bed's by a window, between Evie's and Ryan's beds. I threw down my jacket on the bed and slipped into my pyjamas, then down under the soft sheets.

Next to me, Evie kneeled down by my bed.

'Don't worry about Anna and Kenzie,' she whispered, as if she was afraid they were listening. 'They're just a bit…' she trailed off.

'Horrible?' I finished, grimacing.

'Pretty much, yeah,' Evie gave me a sympathetic look. 'It's just because you're new.'

'It's okay,' I said, though I felt a little better. 'I'm used to that kind of girls.'

Evie grinned and got into her bed.

For a little while, we busied ourselves with our own activities, like usual. When I first arrived, I thought that being in a cabin with loads of kids my age would be just like summer camp, but given the exhausting activities we do every day here, we're usually too tired to talk in the evenings.

Normally, I listen to my iPod before dropping off, but tonight, I flicked through my songs and felt bored.

I glanced over the top of the screen and saw Anna, in her bed across the aisle. She had pulled her knees up to her chin, and was sitting on top of her comforter. At first, I thought she was glaring at me, but I realised her gaze was fixed on a spot just below my bed.

Anna could have been pretty – she had the good looks of a typical East Coast princess, with her long blonde hair, tanned skin and blue eyes. But the expression she wore on her face all the time, as if there was a bad smell under her nose, ruined her prettiness.

She looked odd that night, scared, but angry at the same time. I didn't know Anna very well, but Percy had told me her mother didn't care about her – she had kept putting her in foster homes until Anna ran away and found her way to Camp Half-Blood.

I thought of my mother, her wonderful, caring face, beautiful despite the crow's feet lines around her eyes. Her hands, worn from work but soft at the same time. I hadn't seen her in months, and I was missing her more than I liked to realise.

I sighed and adopted the same position as Anna – knees tucked under my chin and hands wrapped around my legs, as if I was afraid I would fall apart otherwise.

'I'm going to turn the main lights out, guys,' Percy called out. 'You can keep your lamps on for about half-an-hour more, but don't stay up too late, all right?'

'Aww, come on, Perce,' Ryan argued. 'It's Sunday tomorrow!' he looked pretty engrossed in his video game.

'Okay, then, an hour more. But Rosa,' Percy turned to me. 'I'm taking you to see the pegusi tomorrow, so get some sleep.'

'Don't worry, Percy,' I said, smiling. 'I'm so whacked from today; I'm going straight to sleep.'

Percy turned out the main lights and I switched my lamp off, settling down under the covers.

It didn't take me long to get to sleep, but when I did, I dreamt.

_I saw a group of girls stumbling through the forest. There were maybe six or seven of them, but they were moving so swiftly that it was hard to be sure._

_They looked scared, and they carried bows and arrows slung over their shoulders._

_The girl at the front of the group looked like the leader. Instead of the silvery parkas and pale jeans the other girls were dressed in, she had opted for a gothic-looking outfit – a black military-style jacket, dark jeans and sneakers. She wore a silver circlet on her spiky black hair, like a princess._

'_Run, girls!' she shouted. 'We must run!'_

_One of the girls wasn't in good shape. She had lost her parka, and her hoodie was ripped up the sleeves. She had a nasty-looking cut on her cheek, and her breathing was coming out shallow and fast._

'_Thalia,' someone called out to the leader. 'Alise is getting worse.'_

_Worried, Thalia turned and stopped the girls. The girl named Alise stopped with relief, and collapsed on the floor, losing consciousness. _

_Her companion, the one who had alerted Thalia, supported Alise's back as she slumped._

'_We cannot stop for too long, girls,' Thalia said. 'We've got a brief head start, but soon…' she bent over Alise and checked her pulse._

'_I don't think the medicine worked, Rylie,' Thalia said to the girl holding Alise. 'Her cheek wound is getting worse. I don't think -'_

_Alise stirred, mumbling something._

'_We're not far,' Rylie said, sounding urgent. 'I'll put some more of the herb cream on her cheek, and we can set up a camp on the other side of the river.'_

'_You're right,' Thalia said. 'It will be harder for it to reach us if we're on opposite sides of the river. All right, take care of Alise quickly, then we set off again.'_

_The other girls pulled out thermos flasks from their parkas, and sipped steaming liquid._

_Rylie put some shimmering stuff onto Alise's cheek, and gave her something to drink. Soon, Alise sat up groggily, blinking. She looked slightly better, but still very pale and sweaty._

'_Good,' Thalia said in a businesslike voice. The girls all got to their feet, and prepared to get going again._

'_Couldn't I give her just a little drop of nectar?' Rylie asked Thalia. 'I'm sure -'_

'_Don't be stupid, Rylie,' Thalia snapped. 'She's mortal. You know it would turn her to ashes.'_

_I was confused. I had thought, from the bows and arrows the girls carried and the thing, maybe a monster, they were running from, that they were demigods. Now, it seemed one of the girls was a plain mortal._

_But Alise had stood up, picked up her bow and quiver, and started to walk, Rylie holding her arm._

'_Come on, we need to reach the river,' Thalia called. 'And fast.'_

_I still stood in the clearing, but the girls raced off into the trees, leaving me alone…_

**And, there's the second chapter! Did you like it? Did you hate it? I won't know unless you review! So click that little blue button, pretty please!**

**Essie xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter (!) I hope you're all enjoying it, please please please review! **

**Oh, just a quickie: I'm really bad at thinking of titles and I honestly cannot think of one for this story, so if you come up with any ideas, please message me. I don't bite!**

**Chapter Three: Jack**

It was Drew and her stupid Aphrodite cronies who started it. I was preparing to have a peaceful Saturday – I had excused myself from activities today, so I was planning on a lie-in, late breakfast, walk by the woods…

Instead, I was woken by Liv, my half sister.

'Jack,' she shook my shoulder. 'Jaaack.'

'Whayouwant?' I mumbled sleepily.

'It's Ryan,' she replied. 'He says Drew wants to talk to you.'

'What?' I sat up, quickly, knocking back Liv, rubbed my eyes. 'Did he say why?'

'No,' she said. 'He just said she wanted to speak -'

'Okay, okay. I'm up.'

I jumped out of bed and grabbed a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt from my drawers.

'If you see him again, tell him I'm gonna kill him,' I said to Liv as I headed to the shower room. 'Slowly.'

Liv raised her eyebrows, and I shut the door.

Fifteen minutes later, I was ready to face the world. Not that I really wanted to.

I thanked the gods that Drew couldn't enter my cabin unless I invited her in, because otherwise she would have broken my door down.

Drew, the head counsellor for Aphrodite cabin, had made it known across camp that she had eyes for me at the Valentine's dance back in the spring. It was now mid-July, and I avoided her as best I could.

It wasn't that Drew wasn't pretty – the opposite. Drew was stunning. She had smooth, tanned skin and dark, glossy hair that curled down her back. She wore; well, as little as possible, especially in the summer.

I liked the way she carefully applied pink eyeliner around her brown, almond-shaped eyes and the way she walked, confident, like a queen.

But I didn't like the way she acted.

Picture one of those popular girls in high schools, who cackle when you trip over your shoes and are always surrounded by little cliques of evil girls.

Then, times all that nastiness by ten.

Then, imagine her with a dagger in her belt and five years of training how to kill people with that dagger.

Drew was pretty scary. She kept chasing me, trying to catch me alone, inviting me to beach picnics with Ryan and the others, batting her unnaturally long eyelashes at me…

And now she had asked to speak with me. Of course, it could just have been Ryan's joke, he's always messing around at Camp and getting into trouble, but I didn't want to make Drew angry. She could ask her mom, Aphrodite, to curse my love life forever. Not that it's up to much at the moment.

Outside, the sun was shining and the birds were tweeting, just like a scene from a romantic movie. It made my mood even worse.

I headed for the dining pavilion, figuring if I was going to face Drew, it would be better on a full stomach.

Because I was so late, nearer midday to breakfast time, I was the only one there, even though the breakfast buffet was still out, lined up on long stone tables on one side of the pavilion. I grabbed a blueberry muffin and some orange juice, and sat down at the Zeus table.

Me and Liv are the only campers in Cabin 1, except Thalia, our half-sister, but she decided to join the Hunters of Artemis and isn't here very often. In fact, as little as possible.

I'm usually used to being at a nearly empty table, but with the rest of the tables empty, the dining pavilion felt cold and unfriendly. A chill breeze blew its way under the table, swirling around my legs and I shivered, and got up. Maybe I should go for a walk before I saw Drew.

Swallowing the last bite of my muffin and chasing it down with a gulp of orange juice, I stood up. I was about to walk off, when I heard a voice behind me.

'Jack.'

I spun around.

Drew was standing behind me, hands on hips.

'Uh, hey, Drew,' I stammered. 'Nice day, huh?'

'Enough small talk, Jack,' Drew came closer. 'Let's walk.'

She hooked an arm through mine and led me off, like a dog owner would do to a dog. I gulped. She walked out of the dining pavilion and down the track that went to the lake.

'So, Jack,' she smiled at me. 'It's been a while, hasn't it?'

I avoided her gaze, staring at the ground, and wondered how she managed to walk in the strappy shoes she was wearing.

'Really? I hadn't noticed,' I replied.

'I thought perhaps you were…avoiding me.'

'Me? Avoid you? No way! It's just…I've been…busy…' I trailed off lamely.

'Busy, huh?' Drew stopped at the edge of the lake and flipped her hair. 'Well, you're free now, sweetie, right?'

I didn't mention I was planning a lazy day in my cabin, instead I muttered, 'Listen, Drew, I don't think me and you…I don't think it's a good idea.'

Drew raised her eyebrows. 'Oh, come _on_, Jack! I'm the prettiest, most popular girl at Camp!'

'But you're nasty!' I protested. 'I've seen the way you treat other campers, even your own half-sibling! It's horrible.'

Drew pouted and placed a hand on my arm. 'Jack,' her voice was persuasive and it made me want to close my eyes. 'You know you don't want to say that. I'm a lovely girl, I really am. Do you want to reconsider your decision?'

I managed to blink. I had heard about Drew's ability to charmspeak. My voice was far-away, but I heard myself say, 'I meant what I said, Drew. Come back when you know how to treat people.'

Then Drew's voice, sharp and full of anger. 'You'll regret that, Jack Greye!' she waved her hand through the air and I blacked out.

_As I lost consciousness, I floated. I heard voices around me – maybe I was in the infirmary? I tried to open my eyes._

_It was dark, everything around me. Funny, it had been the daytime when I had walked by the lake with Drew._

_Drew. What had she done to me? I couldn't remember any pain, but there were some deaths worse than bloody ones with a sword._

_Was I dead, then? No. I couldn't be. How could I still…_feel_? And where was the boatman, the River Styx?_

_I opened my eyes wider, but it stung and it was hard to see. My vision was blurry, it waved, rippled…with horrible realisation, I knew I was sinking, down, in the lake._

_I couldn't swim._

_Panicking, I lashed out with my arms and legs, flailing around, trying to get to the surface – only which way was up? Everything had a blueish tint to it; I couldn't even make out seaweed, or rays of sunlight…_

_Suddenly, two glowing lights popped up in front of me. No, not lights – eyes. Two eyes, round and amber, that were obviously built for seeing underwater. A naiad?_

_I blinked and opened my mouth, but the water just rushed in and my brain felt like it was going to explode. I didn't know how long I'd spent so far in the lake, but I knew that even demigods couldn't go more than a few minutes underwater, except Children of Poseidon._

_Then another face appeared in my vision. This was a human face, with almond-shaped green-brown eyes and tanned skin._

_The two girls caught hold of my arms and heaved me up through the water. They swam like fishes, with no effort at all. The naiad girl's silvery-blue clothes shimmered under the water, making reflections all around. _

_Or was it just the sun? We were rushing towards to surface of the lake rapidly, the water got warmer and warmer, and –_

My head broke the surface with a splash. It was possibly the sweetest breath of air I had taken in my life. The warmth of it blew against my face, and I inhaled and exhaled slowly, my eyes closed. When I opened them, I was sitting on the wooden jetty, shivering.

One of the girls, the human, pulled herself up next to me, but the naiad stayed in the water.

'You should go, Rosa,' she said. 'Dry the boy, and make sure he's all right, then take him back up.'

'Okay,' the girl Rosa took my arm and helped me up, for which I was glad, because my legs were shaking. I felt like an idiot, having just been saved from drowning by two girls, but I was too shaken up to care.

'Th-thanks,' I managed.

'No problem,' she replied. 'We're used to it.'

'How come you could breathe underwater?' I asked.

She turned to me. 'Sorry, I should have introduced myself. Rosalie Harp, Daughter of Poseidon. Who are you?'

'I'm Jack, Son of Zeus.'

She took me over to something that looked like a huge bronze fan, and stood me in front of it.

'This may tickle,' she warned me, before switching on the machine. It blasted me with warm air and in about five seconds, I was completely dry.

I let out a laugh. 'Wow. Neat.'

Rosalie returned the smile. 'See, that sort of thing happens all the time.'

'But…I was over at the other side of the lake, right?' I frowned.

'Ah, yes, I saw what happened with you and that Aphrodite girl,' Rosalie gave me a sympathetic look.

'What did she do? I mean, she didn't push me in or anything, so, what?' I asked.

'All we saw was her shouting something at you, then she waved her hand a load of pink sparks picked you up and tossed you into the water.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'Seriously?'

'Seriously.'

Remembering Drew made my stomach twist up. If she now had it in for me…

'I should go,' I said hurriedly. 'I've got to…do something.' Yeah, go and hide in Cabin 1 for the rest of my life.

Rosalie tipped her head on one side and looked at me. 'Are you sure? You still look a bit shivery, do you want some nectar, or…'

'I'm fine,' I snapped, not thinking.

Rosalie's face took on a hurt look, and I felt bad. She was only trying to help.

'Sorry, Rosalie,' I put a hand on her shoulder and tried to catch her eye, but she looked down. 'Just got a lot on my mind. Uh, thanks a lot. For rescuing, me, saving my life…' I trailed off.

'My pleasure,' Rosalie said, and she walked off, up the path that led to the cabins.

I took another path, one further up, which went to my favourite place at Camp – the woods. Hardly any campers went there on normal days, and it was one place I could think clearly.

As I walked, I thought.

I had always hated water. When I was four, my grandfather had pushed me into the local swimming pool, yelling, 'Come on, boy! Show me what you're made of!'

If I had been a little older, I would have yelled back, 'It's not the First World War, Grandpa! You can't do that to kids anymore!'

But I had never learnt to swim. The episode at the lake had scared me, and as I walked off up the forest path, I tried to shake the memory of my lungs filling slowly with water, my vision fuzzy and thinking I'd never see the sun again.

I was surprised when I suddenly bumped into someone. It was a girl, with long blonde hair, and she was knocked over into a bush.

I bent over her, and realised it was _her_: Belle Edwards.

I almost wanted to run away while she had her eyes closed – she was _so _intimidating for a girl, more than Drew, even – but I reached out my hand to check her pulse.

Then, her eyes flashed open. They were beautiful eyes, grey like the night, and they were angry eyes. Especially when she saw who I was.

'I'm so sorry,' I held out my hand to help her. 'Are you okay?'

She snapped, 'Save it, Jack,' back at me. My entire fault, I knew.

'No, honestly,' I protested. 'I wasn't concentrating – do you want a hand out of there?'

'I'm _fine_,' she replied sharply. 'I don't need your help!'

She stood and brushed leaves off her clothes. She had missed one, in her hair, but I figured if I took it off for her, she'd hit me. Like I said, intimidating.

I needed to talk to her. 'Listen, Belle,' I began. But she cut me off.

'Jack, if it's to apologise about what happened last week, I don't want to hear it,' snapped, glaring.

'Belle -' I wanted her to wait, to tell her I was sorry, but she raced off into the woods.

I sighed.

What had happened between me and her was my fault.

Last week, the Hermes Cabin had hosted a party. I wasn't planning on going, since Drew would most probably be there, and the Hermes Cabin had a reputation for throwing…_interesting _parties. But Ryan was going, and he had pestered and pestered me until I had agreed to go.

And of course, someone had put alcohol in the punch.

I hadn't noticed at first, but then my head had started spinning, and by then, it was too late. People had handed me drink after drink…

And then I was making out with her, Belle Edwards. I didn't know what she was doing there, because she was a total loner and nobody ever invited her anywhere, but we were in one of the Hermes bunks, and by the sounds of it, we weren't the only ones there.

I had run a hand through her long hair, and looked into her eyes. She wasn't drunk, her grey gaze was too sharp for that – so why was she here with me? Because she'd wanted to?

'Jack,' she whispered, tugging at my shirt.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the dinner gong – I hadn't realised it was so late. I had walked all the way up to the cabins.

'Jack!' It was Ryan, waving at me from in front of the Poseidon cabin. 'How'd it go?'

Well, Drew used pink magic to throw me into the lake and I almost drowned. I'd say…pretty bad, as days go?

**Another chapter finished! :) I hope you're liking it so far, please review, it means a lot!**

**Essie xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fourth chapter! Please review, and any ideas are appreciated :)**

**Chapter Four: Belle**

I slept badly, tossing and turning the whole night, and when I woke up, the morning light was grey. I looked at my clock. Six.

I sat up in my tangle of sheets and duvet, and rubbed my eyes. Nico and Arron were still conked out in their beds. Nico was snoring.

I swung my legs out of bed, and pulled on a jumper over my pyjama T-shirt and shorts. Glancing in the mirror, I saw my hair was a mess, and I tried to smooth it down as best I could.

I pushed open the door to Cabin 13 and stepped out into the breezy morning. The sun was just hidden behind the trees of the woods, and the canoe lake looked shiny and inviting. I hopped off the terrace of our cabin and looked around.

I was the only one in the omega-shaped ring of cabins – or so I thought.

I set off down the path towards the lake, planning to benefit from the early time to be by the lake without any of those children of Poseidon there, laughing at me because I'm a Daughter of Hades. I even hoped that the naiads were asleep, instead of splashing around and giggling.

No such luck. There they were, their black hair shining in the water, playing by the shore.

I sat by the edge of the jetty and sighed.

After my meeting with Jack Greye the afternoon before, I had hurried back to Cabin 13 and hid under my covers, silent.

'Belle,' Arron had laid a hand on my shoulder. 'What's the matter?'

'Nothing,' I had sniffed, and wiped my eyes. They could never know about me and Jack, I was still hurting and it was just embarrassing.

I had finally got out of bed for dinner, but I hadn't been in the mood for anything and had spent the whole meal pushing some green beans and barbecue meat around my plate.

I was still confused about Jack – I wasn't sure whether I liked him or not.

I mean, he was pretty gorgeous. He had messy, blond hair and grey-blue eyes that were intelligent, but sad, too. He was a great sword fighter, and very brave in Capture the Flag.

But I didn't know him. As much as I had kept replaying the scene in my head, it wasn't my choice or his to do what we did.

I had just been sleeping on a bunk in the Hermes cabin, and he had arrived, tipsy, and, well…one thing had led to another…

I scowled and threw a stone into the lake. I had never learnt to skim, so it hit the surface once and sunk below the water.

'In a mood, are we?'

I spun round, shocked.

A man was standing behind me. He wore a dark suit the colour of the night and in his hand was a long black staff, topped with a skull. He seemed to radiate power and silent terror, and his eyes were like black flames.

I opened my mouth to say something, but found I couldn't speak. I was angry, confused, happy, bitter, relieved, all at the same time.

'Belle Edwards, Daughter of -' he paused and frowned. 'That is to say, Hades. Er, me.'

'Father.' I glared at him. 'Taken you long enough, hasn't it?'

'I was…busy,' he replied lamely. 'My kingdom has had many more souls since the Battle of Manhattan, and what with Daedalus rebuilding…'

'You couldn't have spared a few moments to talk to me, could you?' I asked, still angry, but it was ebbing away at the sight of my father, who I had waited years for. 'A dream, a letter…_something_!'

'I am never at ease in the company of the living,' he told me. 'My realm is below, far from the noise of the mortal world. Even at Olympus, I am not welcome. I prefer to keep to myself – ask your brothers!' he hesitated, as if he wanted to say more, then cleared his throat. 'But it is not pure chance that I have come to you now.'

'Why?' I asked. 'What's happening now?'

'That, child, is for you to find out, along with some help. But you must be prepared. What you are about to face is bigger than anything that Percy Jackson saw, bigger than Kronos' army, even,' Hades continued.

My face must have looked a picture, because he hastily said, 'But you are brave at heart, Belle. I know that now, you may not believe me. But your time will come. Your destiny is complicated, but one day, it will, all become clear.'

I bit my lip, thinking about how much I had wanted to leave Camp yesterday. Hades' words had made me think about whether that was really the right thing to do. If a great danger was coming, wouldn't it be best to stay?

'Ah, yes, about your little escape plan,' he said, as if reading my thoughts. 'Do not go. Once they realise you are the one in the prophecy, they will come after you. You must not leave here until the quest is called.'

'The…quest?' I said incredulously. 'What quest?'

'You will see in time, child.' Hades' form began to flicker. He was turning paler, and black flames burned at his feet. He looked at me. 'It is time for me to go, child. Do not forget what I have told you.'

I could barely hear his voice; it was becoming fainter as he grew paler. 'Oh, one more thing,' he said. 'Watch out for their mistress. She grows stronger.'

Then my father melted into the morning shadows and was gone.

For a few moments I stood there, not moving, looking at the place where he had disappeared. He sure had given me a lot to think about. And what was it he'd said at the end? Something about a mistress…

The splashing of the naiads brought me back to reality, and I shivered. Hades had left behind a cold breeze, and a feeling that chilled my bones. I blinked, and checked my watch. The talk with my father had taken longer than it had seemed, and the time read seven thirty, I headed up to the dining pavilion, wondering what was for breakfast.

If I had known what was coming, I wouldn't have been so calm.

**Fourth chapter finished – sorry it was a bit short, but that seemed like a good place to end it. Please review!**

**Essie xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, sorry for the delay, I had writer's block and I was on holiday, so I couldn't update due to lack of internet connection, but heeeere's the fifth chapter, guys! :) It will get more exciting; please review to give ideas or comments. Thanks!**

**Five: Rosalie**

_In my dream, I was standing in a huge room with a high ceiling and pillars at the entrance. The ceiling was painted, but the pictures were nothing like the ones you normally see in old buildings. The colours were garish, too bright and not old enough, and the images themselves were awful. Ancient monsters I had never seen before ripped the heads off heroes, their fangs and claws stained with blood. A king in robes stood at an altar, sacrificing a writhing baby, his face mad with hunger and eagerness. And at each corner – north, east, south and west –those fat kids in nappies blowing horns were replaced by little green evil things in yellow britches, brandishing the trumpets as if about to whack someone on the head with them._

_The pictures made my knees feel weak, and if that wasn't enough, when my gaze left the roof, I saw a sight to make anyone scream for help. _

_A huge crowd of monsters filled the room. Some of them I recognized from monster-fighting class at Camp, (some Minotaurs which looked smaller than the original one, but still big enough to do some damage and a whole crowd of _dracenae_ in armour) but also others I had not seen before. _

_They were making a lot of noise, but suddenly they all stopped talking or growling and the hall was silent. At first, I thought they had seen me and dived behind an urn near the wall, but then I realised they were all looking at the back of the room._

_Another floor painted gold was raised up right at the back wall, making some sort of stage. In the middle of the stage, there was a podium with a microphone, and at the podium, a woman stood. _

_She was very tall and looked intimidating, even though she was far away. She had dark hair and olive-toned skin, and wore a black dress, but I couldn't look at her features up close as I was afraid the monsters would spot me if I moved from my hiding-place._

_When the woman began to speak, I felt the room fade away from around me. Nothing else seemed important, just looking at her, doing exactly as she said. _

'_Good evening, dear friends,' said the woman, and her wonderful voice washed over me, making my worries disappear. The monsters murmured and stamped their feet._

'_I am so glad you have gathered here today to join my…cause. This is an important step in the downfall of the demigods, and I am sure that you will all find it worthy of your support. The rewards will be great, and I promise you that no one will regret joining my army.'_

_The monsters mumbled quietly and the woman smiled._

'_Good. Now, I assume that all of you were with that loser Luke Castellan when he attempted to bring down the gods? This will be a better planned attack, and our numbers will be way superior. We shall start, of course, at Camp Half-Blood -'_

_I was suddenly jarred out of the magic of the woman's voice at the mention of Camp Half-Blood, my home. She was planning to create an army of monsters to destroy Camp? They had to be stopped._

_But I felt uneasy, as if coming out of the trance was a bad idea. Almost as soon as I wrinkled my brow, I heard the woman say, 'But who is this? A half-blood in our midst? She must be exterminated. Get her!' she fixed her eyes on me and I resisted the urge the scream. Instead, I ran for the exit, but it was as if I was wading through treacle; unable to move. I wanted to cry, but I knew if that if I was caught, the lady in black would tear me apart. Then I remembered that it was a dream, and pinched my arm, hard. I felt the ground opening up underneath me…_

I sat up, drenched in cold sweat and shaking. I dragged a breath through my lungs, but breathing was a trial, as if I had run a marathon. Then it all came back to me – the room, the crowd of monsters, the tall woman dressed in black. I closed my eyes, trying to forget it all, and fell back onto my pillow.

When I came round again, it was much lighter, and I was no longer wearing my pyjamas, but a nightdress. I blinked in the sunlight and took in my surroundings. I was in the infirmary, a building I had only ever been in once before, after a nasty head injury in archery a couple of weeks ago. I was lying on a white bed with clean sheets and next to me, Chiron sat in his wheelchair with Evie and Percy by his side.

'Ah, Miss Harp, at last,' Chiron said. He sounded calm and he was smiling. 'I was beginning to get worried.'

'How – how long have I been out?' I asked slowly. My voice sounded like my throat had been filled with sand five centuries ago.

'About six and a half hours,' Chiron informed me. 'Miss Phillips here -' he gestured to Evie '- woke up to you shouting fitfully in your sleep around three in the morning. She told Percy and they brought you here.'

I sighed, but it was more of a troubled sigh than a contented one.

Evie rushed forward, her brow furrowed. She looked distraught. 'Are you okay, Rosa?' she asked frantically. 'I was so worried – I thought you'd been possessed or something!'

Now, when someone says that in the mortal world, you'd take them to the funny doctor's. However, in the world of monsters and gods, it has been known for people to be possessed by demons or visions, like Rachel, the Camp's Oracle.

I swallowed uneasily, remembering my dream. I should have told Chiron about it, (it would have saved _a lot _of trouble later) but I couldn't bring myself to recall the huge room, the lady in black, the monsters…

I shivered as if someone had tipped ice cubes down my back, and realised that Chiron, Evie and Percy were all looking at me.

'No, no,' I managed a smile, though it was weak. 'I'm just fine, no need to worry!'

I tried to sit up, but my head started to spin and Chiron put a hand on my shoulder. 'Steady, there, Rosalie. You're still quite weak. I'm going to keep you there for a while longer, until you're completely better.'

He handed me a small glass of amber-coloured liquid – nectar. I drank deeply, and even though the glass was small, it seemed to fill me up completely. It tasted of candyfloss at the funfair; my mom's hugs; laughter; sunshine; lemon-flavoured ice lollies; barbecued burgers…

It made me feel better. I closed my eyes briefly and sighed, less anxious.

Chiron smiled. 'Wonderful. I'll leave you with Percy for a while, dear, and I'll come back in half an hour or so.' He turned to Evie. 'I think you should go, Miss Phillips.'

'Okay, Chiron,' she replied. She sounded worse than I did.

'Thanks, Evie,' I called after her.

Chiron fixed me with a penetrating stare, and I felt like his eyes could search my soul. I blinked. He said, 'Are you sure everything's okay, Rosa?'

I half considered telling him, but something held me back. 'Yes,' I assured him. 'I'm fine.'

He nodded, more to himself than to me then turned slowly his back to me and Percy and wheeled himself out the door.

When we were alone, Percy sat down in a chair and looked at me. 'Rosa, I may not be a satyr, but I'm still pretty good at reading emotions. What's the matter?'

I could tell Percy, I knew I could. He was my brother, and I felt I needed to tell him what had happened. But I had been so terrified of the whole scene that I could hardly talk about it. And that woman…she had scared me more than the mass of monsters.

I met his eyes. They were greeny-blue, so much like mine, and they were concerned. I hesitated.

'I had a dream,' I began. 'Monsters…ceiling…evil trumpets…'

Percy frowned, confused. 'Evil trumpets?'

'Nappy dudes!' I shouted. 'In yellow britches!'

Percy laid a cool hand on my head, and patted me like I was a dog. He obviously thought I was still delirious, because he said, 'Don't worry, Rosa. Sleep.'

It sounded like such a good idea that I obeyed almost immediately. My eyes closed and my breath slowed, and soon I was deeply asleep.


End file.
